More than 950,000 people rode Amtrak trains in Florida last year. If you’re one of them, you’d better start thinking of a new way to travel.

That's because all long-distance Amtrak routes would be axed in President Trump's proposed budget. The Department of Transportation's overall budget would be cut 13 percent, with Amtrak getting slashed 45 percent — from $1.4 billion to $774 million.

Nationwide, of the 45 states served by Amtrak, 23 would lose all service. The cuts would be hardest on smaller, rural communities — the heart of Trump country — which have fewer transportation alternatives.

So say goodbye to the three routes that serve Florida: the Silver Meteor and the Silver Star trains, which run from Miami to New York through Orlando; and the popular auto train that runs from Sanford to Lorton, Va., just outside Washington, D.C. And forget about an effort to bring back passenger rail service in North Florida.

Instead, Trump wants to focus on state-supported systems and the Northeast Corridor between Washington and Boston, which is Amtrak's only profitable route. That means Florida taxpayers would be paying for rail bridges, tunnels and track upgrades in the Northeast, but not for any Amtrak infrastructure at home.

You would think Gov. Rick Scott and Florida's congressional delegation would be howling at this prospect. Scott had his chance at a White House meeting on infrastructure earlier this month, where the president said public works projects are "going to take off like a rocket ship."

But the governor has said nothing about the potential loss of Amtrak, a loss that not only would hurt communities, but kill jobs. According to Amtrak, half of its riders in Florida are tourists, and the company employs more than 700 state residents.

"This just doesn't make sense," Nelson said when the budget was released. "Eliminating Amtrak service in Florida not only affects the nearly one million Floridians who ride the train each year, it would have a real impact on our tourism-driven economy."

Critics complain that Amtrak's long-distance routes lose money, don't run on time and suffer frequent breakdowns. True, bad service reduces ridership. Better service would pay dividends in higher ridership. Amtrak, like almost any other organization, has plenty of room for improvement.

But Amtrak has long suffered from willful neglect. The Northeast Corridor alone faces a $28 billion backlog of needed improvements, according to the American Society of Civil Engineers. And though Trump campaigned on improving infrastructure, his budget would compound the neglect.

Why accept that a draconian reduction in Amtrak is appropriate? Why can't the United States, like its industrialized peers, support a robust, modern and efficient rail system?

Florida leaders know rail is essential to moving goods and people. It's why we're optimistic about the privately owned All Aboard Florida, which will soon be whisking travelers from Miami to Fort Lauderdale to West Palm Beach, and ultimately to Orlando.

The Trump budget sees merit in privatizing services traditionally under government purview. Handled properly, it's not a bad idea. More public-private partnerships in train service are worth exploring if it would improve and expand the country’s rail network.

But Nelson's observation is on target. The president’s budget proposal makes no sense.

What does make sense is a forward-thinking discussion to improve and expand our rail system. It's long overdue.

Eliminating passenger-rail service does nothing to make America great again.